PASTOR CECIL · Pa LEARNING TO LEAN! Proverbs 3:5-6 – Devotional Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” I have had the DELIGHTFUL (I mean that sarcastically) experience of being struck with shingles. No, not the kind you put on your roof to keep out the rain, but the medical condition. Most times a case of shingles produces blisters and extreme pain. I had that to some extent, but unfortunately my strain took a more sinister turn and went into the nerves of my left leg. It caused me to lose the feeling in that leg and resort to crutches until the condition ran its course. During that time of pain and paralysis I learned more and more to depend upon the Lord. I was to face even more situations that would force me to lean heavily upon the Lord. Loss physically, financially, emotionally or the death of a loved one forces us to lean on the One who is always there a
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PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's devotional for June 29, 2021 - "Follow the Leader!" Psalm 31:3 FOLLOW THE LEADER! Psalm 31:3 – Devotional Psalm 31:3 “For Thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for Thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.” I can recall times when I was told to follow the leader. One of these times was high in the mountains when our Boy Scout troop was crossing a steep rock slide and in order to keep from starting a rock slide that would have cost us our life, we had to place our feet precisely where our leader had placed his. That is also true in following in the steps of our Savior and Lord. There are many temptations for us to get off the path that the Lord has prepared for us. The enemy of our soul uses every tempting devise in his arsenal to persuade us to follow him. We always need to remember that the wages of sin is death. We can face the death of dreams and the death of being a faithful witness for the Lord. How sad to witness people follow the
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for June 28, 2021 0 "Peace in the Storm!" - Luke 16:10 PEACE IN THE STORM! Luke 16:10 – Devotional Luke 16:10 “Then said Jesus to them again, ‘Peace be unto you: as My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you.’” It seems as if we are always facing a storm of one kind or another as we pass through the days of our existence here on earth. Many of us can immediately recall storms that surrounded us and even threatened our life. When the storm passed we breathed a sigh of relief and went back to life as normal. How very sad. We should use the storms of life to remind us that those who have never received Jesus as their Lord and Savior are facing a storm that will last eternally. Jesus gave a vivid account in His parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man based his eternal security on his wealth and position. Lazarus lacked the wealth of this world, but he had received Jesus as his Savior and possessed eternal peace and content
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for June 25, 2021 - "Wonderful Peace!" - John 14:27 WONDERFUL PEACE! John 14:27 – Devotional John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” We seem to be constantly bombarded with the talk of peace. As a young boy I recall pictures of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain waving a document in his hand and saying he had just met with Adolf Hitler and had secured a promise of peace. His words were, “I have returned from Germany with peace for our time.” The sad reality was that the world was soon to be exposed to the horrible reality of a war waged by a mad man who intentionally tried to exterminate Jews and other ethnic groups. There was no peace then or now! From the day that Adam and Eve sinned and were evicted from the garden there has been strife, conflicts and wars. For all of the rhetoric about attainin
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for June 24th - "Faithful or Unjust?" w/ Luke 16:10 FAITHFUL OR UNJUST? Luke 16:10 – Devotional Luke 16:10 “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” (NKJV) In a world that largely perverts justice, it is easy to become jaded in our thinking and prone to be pessimistic. It seems that those who strive to do what is noble and right are punished, while those who sin and sow discord are rewarded. So what else is new? That has been going on since sin entered into the world! We are not called to be overcome by sin, but to overcome by means of the shed blood of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ! That means that we are to live a life that reflects the indwelling power of salvation that overcomes the world. The question is; ARE WE FAITHFUL OR UNJUST? Are we just as faithful when we are all alone as when we are surrounded by witnesses? If we are the one lo
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's devotional for June 23, 2021 - Just a Boy's Lunch JUST A BOY’S LUNCH! John 6:9 – Devotional John 6:9 “There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” I enjoy considering the small things in life that the Lord uses to accomplish great things for the kingdom. It reminds me of the phrase from a spiritual song that goes something like; “Little is much when God is in it.” I have shared many times about a mentally challenged man at a church I served in Idaho. His name was Roscoe, but I always thought of him as the man with a smile. While some ignored him, I chose to get better acquainted with him. I learned from Roscoe that the small things in life are important when Jesus is made a part of them. A small flower or piece of paper with his smudged drawing were precious to him and became precious to me when I took the time to see them from his point of view. Jesus delighted in taking time with t
PASTOR CECIL · KNOW WHO TO TRUST! Psalm 20:7 – Devotional for June 22, 2021 KNOW WHO TO TRUST! Psalm 20:7 – Devotional Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” I just received word that a dear friend and high school classmate, Dr. Floyd Johnson, has slipped into eternity. His skill as an orthopedic surgeon was eclipsed by his love of the Lord Jesus Christ. He gave a radiant testimony of a born again child of God. The death of the saints of God that I have known reminds me that life passes quickly and what we do for Christ matters. People will remember us more for the way we love as Christ would have us love than any gift we may give. A smile or touch speaks louder than the most obnoxious sound systems that modern rock bands employ. (Sorry about that personal observation). The world cries out for someone who really shows forth the love of Jesus! I urge each of us to examine the life we live to determine if Jesus is p
PASTOR CECIL · KNOW ME AND LEAD ME! Psalm 139:23-24 – Devotional for June 21, 2021 KNOW ME AND LEAD ME! Psalm 139:23-24 – Devotional Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” When I was a juvenile probation officer (ages ago), I frequently asked my probationers if they knew anything about reports of their misdeeds. Their response was frequently; “Search me?” That is not the message the Psalmist intends. The Psalmist is sincerely asking the Lord to give him a heart examination to reveal the hidden issues that would cause a conflict between him and his Lord. He even asks the Lord to test him and try him. That means turning up the heat! Ouch! We need that openness in our own prayer life in which we yield our innermost being to the Great Heart Specialist (the Lord) who knows the thoughts and intents of our heart. After our heart examination we are to seek the leader
PASTOR CECIL · KNOW WHO TO TRUST! Psalm 20:7 – Devotional for June 19, 2021 THE LORD’S DELIVERANCE! 2 Chronicles 20:17 – Devotional 2 Chronicles 20:17 “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.” CLICK ON the “Hear Pastor Cecil read today’s Evotional” above. Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing! – – – Pastor Cecil
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for June 18, 2021 - "Near the Cross!" 1 Peter 4:12-13 NEAR THE CROSS! 1 Peter 4:12-13 – Devotional 1 Peter 4:12-13 “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” Fanny J. Crosby was a remarkable woman. There are so many accomplishments in her life that it is hard to comprehend them all. She lost her eyesight because of the treatment of a careless doctor. In spite of her loss she memorized huge portions of Scripture just by listening to her grandmother read them to her. She is credited with writing over 10,000 hymns during her life. Fanny began writing poetry at an early age, but another amazing fact is that she did not accept Jesus as her personal Savior until she was 31. She was attending a service on November 20, 1850. The congrega
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional "Modern Day Idols!" - Psalm 135:18 MODERN DAY IDOLS! Psalm 135:18 – Devotional Psalm 135:18 “Those who make idols are just like them (the idols they make), as are all who trust in them.” We like to picture ourselves as being wise and far removed from the time when people bowed before idols and even offered human sacrifices to them. It seems beyond our modern thinking to imagine that people would make something themselves and then worship that object. BEEP! That is precisely what we do in placing things or people as the object or objects of our devotion. We can easily devote our time, treasure and devotion to the very things that are of our own creation. Stop for a little while and consider what you devote your thought life to. Do you meditate on things of eternal value as found in God’s Word or do you fantasize about worldly things that are contrary to all that is holy and good? Take time to evaluate the idols that may have been
PASTOR CECIL · Pastor Cecil's Devotional for June 16 - I Can Do It! w/Scripture Philippians 4:12-13 I CAN DO IT! Philippians 4:12-13 – Devotional Philippians 4:12-13 ““I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I can recall many years ago when I was just a lad, thinking that I could accomplish some feat that was actually beyond my boyish ability. When my dad offered to do it I would refuse his help and say, “I can do it!” I was usually wrong! I fear that many times we find ourselves in the same spiritual quandary. We try to do things our way, on our terms, and on our schedule. We fail to wait for the Lord to give us the approval and seem to feel that we can wait until we make a mess of things before we call upon Him to help us. Paul writes to the church at Philippi and to us in our day, what he has experi